Firsts
by Kassel Garibay
Summary: Remus Lupin was just a boy until he was turned into a werewolf. This is the story of how Hogwarts changed his life.
1. First time to London

The last five years Remus had smiled few times, and laughed even less times. But when he got his letter from Hogwarts, nothing could take always his smile. After a few days the parchment was completely wrinkled because he had opened and re-read it at least twenty times every day.

He had been accepted in Hogwarts! The best wizarding school in the world! He was going to learn, to make friends, to see places!

For the first time in five years he was going to be a normal kid. He would have homework, go out with his friends, get in trouble, he was going to do mischiefs, he was going to study for tests...

It was such a nice relief to finally be considered as just a kid more, a normal one. To be seen for whom he was, and not as a werewolf.

In the Hogwarts envelope, along with the supply list and the acceptance letter there was a letter from Dumbledore himself. In which he said it was a pleasure to invite him to Hogwarts, and that he would like to meet Remus three days before the classes started at ten o'clock in the morning. The last line of the letter was "You prefer chocolate or vanilla cake?"

Remus replied, carefully. Remembering to thank him for accepting him in his school. And of course he didn't forget to mention that his favorite dessert in the whole world was chocolate cake.

A week before September 1st Mr. and Mrs. Lupin took Remus to London for the first time in his life. Remus just couldn't get enough of the city. Though he was born in Oxford he hadn't seen a city since his accident. And London was just so big! The Clock Tower, the London Eye, Piccadilly... Remus fell in love with the city, but his favorite part was for sure the Diagon Alley.

After his accident the Lupin family had abandoned Oxford, they abandoned a lot of things, their house, their memories, their, friends and acquaintances, their jobs, their dream of having a daughter...

Maybe, Remus thought. Now that I will be gone most of the time they will be able to have a daughter. Maybe they will stop sighing sadly when they see a baby girl and they will stop pretending that they wish had gone differently. Maybe they can fulfill their dream now that they won't be scared of me... killing her.

Every night Remus' cheeks hurt from smiling too much during the day. The day before meeting Dumbledore they went to Ollivander's to buy his wand. He was so happy once he had his. He had a wand! Like any other 11 year old boy. He was a wizard; he was part of the community. People in the Diagon Alley smiled at him as he walked through the crowd. They only saw a smiling boy that was going to Hogwarts for the first time. A young woman even approached to congratulate him for getting into Hogwarts when he was buying his robe. He smiled and she asked if he had his wand already. He showed her his wand, proudly.

"That is so great!" The woman said. "Mine is a willow wand too!"

"Really? Mine is 10 ¼ in, unicorn hair core and it's slightly yielding." He said beaming at her.

She shook hands with him before leaving him with his newly acquired wand.

For the first time he felt at home, he felt accepted. For the first time he felt like a boy, not like a monster.


	2. First Safe Place

Dumbledore was a man with a soft smile and a long white beard. He also had blue eyes that seemed to examine you as if they were x-rays. Or so was what Remus thought when he first met him. Dumbledore looked up from a book when Remus entered his office with McGonagall.  
He had just arrived to her office via Floo Powder. She had introduced herself and he had liked her. She seemed clever and a quick thinker. Like a cat.  
Dumbledore stood up and smiled at him. "Mr. Lupin! I'm glad you came on time. Thank you, Minerva."  
McGonagall smiled and left the office, closing the door behind her and leaving Remus alone with this smiling and blue-eyed stranger.  
"Please, please. Sit down." He said, gesturing to the chair and Remus sat down. Dumbledore did too.  
"You mind if I call you Remus?"  
Remus shook his head. "No, sir. It's okay."  
Dumbledore nodded and smiled, joining his hands on his lap. "Well, Remus. First I wanted to thank you for your thoughtful letter."  
"T-t-thank me? Why?" Remus asked shocked.  
"Yes, thank you. It's always nice to know that I am doing my work right. I was very glad to see that I made a young man like you so happy."  
"Yes, you made me very happy. I am very excited to study here, thank you for giving me an opportunity."  
"You are a very special boy Remus, it will be a honor to have you here with us."  
Remus felt something warm on his chest. Dumbledore had called him special. For the first time in his life Remus felt proud. And he didn't quite know what to reply. But thankfully Dumbledore saved him.  
"And you like chocolate cake!" He exclaimed, as if it was Remus' best quality. "Topsey." He said softly and a house elf appeared out of nowhere with two plates with big chocolate cake pieces on them.  
"Here Remus. I'd like to introduce you to Topsey. She works here in the castle, she also makes the best chocolate cake in the world." Dumbledore smiled, pleased with himself. "Topsey, this is Remus Lupin."  
Topsey blushed softly and bowed. "It's a pleasure Mr. Lupin." She placed a plate in front of him and one in front of Dumbledore. "Anything else sir?" Dumbledore shook his head and she bowed again before disappearing with a "poof."  
Dumbledore and Remus started to eat and ate for some minutes in a comfortable silence before Dumbledore said. "Can I ask you something?"  
"Sure sir."  
"Why do you think I asked you to come here?"  
Remus' stomach twisted, he had been fearing this moment and this topic.  
"To talk about my sickness." Remus whispered. But Dumbledore shook his head immediately.  
"You are not sick Remus. Your nightmares are just darker and more dangerous than other's."  
Nightmares?  
Remus pondered about it for a while, and Dumbledore did not interrupt. Maybe it was an accurate description: it happened at night, he woke up covered in sweat and confused, trying to remember what was real and what wasn't.  
He looked up to Dumbledore, not sure of what to reply.  
"I asked you to come here so we could make sure you will be safe and comfortable here in Hogwarts. You know, your parents weren't sure about if you should come here or not. But I am sure I've found the solution!" He grinned.  
Dumbledore stood up. "Come with me, Remus. Let's take a walk."  
As Remus and Dumbledore walked at a slow pace through the castle corridors Dumbledore asked Remus random things to which Remus asked sincerely, since he had no interest in hiding what his favorite color was or which was his favorite Quidditch team.  
Remus felt happy each time Dumbledore asked him a question, because for some reason he seemed to be interested in him. In what he liked, in what he didn't like. The only people that had ever been interested in him had been his parents. And they didn't count.  
Eventually they reached the gardens, and they strolled until they reached a big willow.  
"You know what this is Remus?" Dumbledore asked.  
"Uh... a tree, sir? A willow."  
"Look at him carefully, Remus. What do you notice?"  
Remus took one step closer to look at the tree better and one branch moved, trying to hit him. But Dumbledore made him back off, laughing softly.  
"It-it-it-it moved!" Remus said, his eyes widening.  
"It surely did! This, Remus is a Whomping Willow. Hogwarts present for you."  
Remus was confused and he looked around trying to find a stone, when he did he looked up at Dumbledore, question in his eyes. Dumbledore smiled and nodded. Remus threw it to the tree which hit it as if it was a baseball. Remus laughed.  
"It's amazing sir! But may I ask why?"  
Dumbledore smiled. "Have you bought your wand already?"  
He nodded, proudly. "Yes sir, I did."  
"Take it out."  
Remus took out his wand and so did Dumbledore.  
"I am going to give you your first magic lesson, Remus. Point to the tree, please. Like this." Remus copied his movements and Dumbledore helped him a bit. He smiled. "Now you say Immobilus."  
Remus said it as clearly as he could and a blue ray went out of his wand and towards the tree that froze.  
Remus' face lit up and he clapped. It was the first time he had ever cast a spell. Dumbledore smiled.  
"Now it is safe to get close to it." He started walking towards it and Remus followed him.  
"You see, this tree will protect this entrance. This will take you to a tunnel."  
"And where does the tunnel take me?"  
"To the Shrieking Shack. Follow me Remus." Dumbledore started to walk inside a whole, Remus was impressed by its size, it was bigger than it seemed. He thought maybe magic had something to do with it. They walked for some minutes before they encountered stairs, wooden stairs which Dumbledore went up.  
"You see." He said once they were both inside of what it seemed a wooden house. Remus looked around. "I thought you could come here before the full moon went out. And close the entrance like this." He let a trap door fall, blocking the stairs.  
"This way you will be safe." Dumbledore said, and Remus smiled. Dumbledore was concerned about his safety. And he had given him a place where he could finally be at peace.


	3. First Friendship

King's Cross was slightly different from what Remus was expecting, he expected it to be a replica of the London Underground with the slight difference of trains instead of subways. But instead he found a crowd of people with a lot of baggage running from one place to another trying to catch their trains. All surrounded by a white smoke.  
Remus followed hesitantly his parents across the wall that leaded him to the platform 9 ¾, he closed his eyes tightly before running through it.  
When he opened his eyes he found himself with hundreds of young wizards embracing and saying goodbye to their families. Remus looked around in awe, fascinated by the scenes around him. He was a wizard, just like them. He was going to Hogwarts!  
His joy ended up in the floor, just as his body when two kids pushed him while they ran among the crowd, laughing. Remus looked up just in time to see a black messy hair disappearing in between the people. Remus' father stood him up and hugged him shortly before stepping back. Remus nodded, his father was a quiet and non emotional person. He only said "I love you" to his wife quietly when he thought no one listened, or to Remus when he thought he was asleep.  
Remus' mother was completely different, she pulled Remus into a tight hug trying to hide the tears in her eyes.  
"If you don't like it send us a letter, dear, and you can come back."  
"I know, Mom."  
"I am going to miss you so much Remus, you know that?"  
"I do, Mom."  
"You packed your sweater, didn't you Remus?"  
"I did, Mom."  
"I love you, my dear Remus."  
"I love you too Mom."  
She planted one last kiss in his forehead and Remus looked again to his dad who smiled. "I'll take care of you luggage, you go get a spot." Remus nodded and entered the train, looking for an empty place. He finally entered and waved at his parents as the train started to move. He stopped when his parents, along with the others turned into little dots in the distance. That was the moment when two kids appeared, laughing and playfully punching one another. Remus recognized the laughter of the hid that had made him fall. But he wasn't mad at him at all. He seemed relaxed, and someone Remus would have liked to be friends with. Somehow he also knew he hadn't intended to make him fall.  
"I'm James Potter" He said and then pointed to the kid next to him. "And this is Sirius, Sirius Black."  
"And you don't mind us keeping you company, do you?" Said Sirius. And Remus shook his head.  
"No, not at all. Come in."  
James smiled and sat beside Remus, Sirius sat in front of them. "And who are you?"  
"My name is Remus Lupin."  
"That's a cool name!" Said a short kid from the entrance, James smiled but didn't even bother to look at him. "And he is Peter Pettigrew."  
Sirius' eyes sparkled. "You did it?!"  
"I did! I did! I left as they started to eat it!" Peter said proudly. Sirius and James looked at each other triumphantly.  
"They? He's sharing it?!" Sirius laughed loudly.  
"This is going to be so fun!" James said.  
"What? What is going to be fun?" Remus asked, feeling slightly left out. But he was gladly surprised when Sirius and James hurried up to explain him the all situation. They didn't hesitate, they did it naturally, as if they trusted him. As if they were... friends.  
James took out four cupcakes and gave one to each, Peter was now sitting next to Sirius. James told Remus his mother had baked five cupcakes for him and his friends, he explained him where the fifth cupcake was.  
Apparently on the station a kid with oily black hair had made Sirius fall, and Sirius wasn't as forgiving as Remus was so James and him had made some spells on the cupcake, so whoever ate it would sing everything they wanted to say for as long as the cupcake remained in their organism. After that they had found Peter, and decided he was perfect for the job since "no one would suspect from him." And Remus couldn't agree more, Peter was simply innocent and adorable. So he had gone to the kid and offered him to change the cupcake for a chocolate frog, claiming "he didn't like his mother's cupcakes."  
As they laughed making jokes and recreating how the kid and his companion would react when they found out their recent ability to sing Remus found himself comfortable, even happy. He didn't have to pretend to be having fun like he often had to do around his parents. He was really having fun, and James, Peter and Sirius seemed to be having fun with him too

After a long time that went too quickly between jokes and candy a prefect came to tell them to put on their robes, Hogwarts was near.  
When the train stopped they grabbed their stuff and joined the rest of the first year kids that chatted excitedly about what was going to come. They were still talking and laughing when they heard an angry yet harmonic voice singing:  
"That's him! He gave us the cupcake!"  
Remus and his friends turned around to see a skinny boy with a hooked nose pointing at them. Shortly a beautiful redheaded girl appeared beside him. Even when she was shorter than him Remus had to admit her glare was intimidating. Peter started shaking as her furious glare landed on him.  
Almost immediately and without really thinking about it Remus, James and Sirius stepped in front of Peter protectively.  
"You have a problem with our friend, girl?" Sirius asked smirking.  
"I do!" She sang, she had a pretty voice too. "Because of him we can't stop singing!" She continued her song angrily. And even when her voice was impressive it didn't stop Remus and James bursting into laughter.  
The girl's face turned almost as red as her hair.  
"Stop laughing! It isn't funny!" The boy sang, pouting. But it only made Remus laugh harder.  
"Oh, stop sniveling." James said. "It was just a joke."  
The boy didn't listen and kept on ranting/singing but Sirius just turned to James and Remus. "Maybe we should call our new friend Snivellus!" he suggested, earning more laughter from his friends.  
"Stop it! His name is Severus not Snivellus! And we are not your friends!" The girl sang, her voice rising.  
"In my opinion Snivellus is better than Severus." Remus commented seriously, James, Peter and Sirius nodded solemnly before exploding with laughter again. Making the girl and Severus even more furious.  
"End with this!" The girl demanded singing, and they all laughed.  
"Sirius, why don't you explain her why we can't?" James asked and Sirius nodded, stepping forward. He cleared his throat.  
"I'm sorry to inform you ma'am we can't stop what has already begun." He sang mockingly and Remus and James had to hold onto Peter not to fall since they were laughing so hard.  
"But if there is anything else I can do, I'll be enchanted to help, I'm Sirius Black, enchanted to meet you." He sang, bowing. Remus, James and Peter clapped as if he had just performed an amazing song.  
Severus glared at him but the girl smirked. "So that explains it. You are a Black! You are ending up in Slytherin, like your family and like them" She pointed to Remus and his friends. "And like all the filthy, worthless evil wizards!" She sang and turned to Severus.  
"Let's go Sev."  
They both reached for the other's hand unconsciously and intertwined their fingers as if it was natural to them. They turned around and left.  
Remus' friends and him exploded with laughter again and high fived.  
"Mischief Managed."


	4. First Home

Even Sirius ran out of things to say once we approached the castle, all the first year students looked around in amazement as the boats took us to our school. But once we were in the Great Hall and we had gotten over the flying candles Sirius started joking about Snivellus again. Especially whenever he heard him and the redhead talk... well, sing.

Professor McGonagall had introduced herself and told them what they had to do, when they heard their name they would sit on the chair, and the Sorting hat would pick a house for them.

"Frank Longbottom."

"Gryffindor!"

"Cecily Abercraft."

"Hufflepuff!"

"Yolanda Merrington"

"Slytherin!"

"Mary McDonald."

"Gryffindor!"

Some minutes later Remus found himself in the Gryffindor table beside James. Everyone in his table had clapped when he was sorted in Gryffindor, James winked at him. Minutes passed and more and more students were sorted. Until there were only eight left. Including Sirius, Severus and the readhead girl.

"Robert Enoch."

"Slytherin!"

Was it Remus imagination or did Sirius' hands turned into fists?

"James?"

"Yeah?" James turned to Remus.

"Why is Sirius so against being in Slytherin?"

"His whole family has been there, and has been evil wizards. He wants nothing to do with them."

Remus nodded. It must be hard, he thought. To be against your family's beliefs.

"Lily Evans."

The redhead girl walked to the chair and sat down, her movements were graceful, it seemed more as if she was dancing than walking. After a second the hat said:

"Gryffindor!"

Lily smiled and stood up, walked towards Severus and squeezed his hand softly as she passed him. Lily walked to the Gryffindor table and sat to Remus left. Leaving a space between them and another empty one to her right as if she was saving someone's spot.

"Severus Snape."

James chuckled. "Snape, Snivellus. We are brilliant dude." He said laughing and Remus laughed too.

Severus wasn't as graceful as Lily, his movements resembled to a spider's and he sat awkwardly on the chair. The hat almost didn't give Lily time to cross her fingers before it yelled:

"Slytherin!"

Lily gasped and Severus shoot a panicked expression to her, but she managed to smile reassuringly at him. He walked to the Slytherin table with his shoulders down and sat down giving his back to the Gryffindor table. Remus bit his lip.

"Sirius Black!"

This time was Remus' turn to cross his fingers as Sirius walked with a fake confidence grin in his face. But the second the hat touched Sirius' hair it yelled.

"Gryffindor!"

James, Peter and Remus stood up clapping as many other Gryffindor members. The Slytherin students seemed confused, they were expecting Sirius to be one of them just as his relatives had been for years. But Sirius ran to the Gryffindor table and high fived with Remus, sitting on his left. He turned to Lily and winked.

"Good thing Slytherin is only for filthy, worthless, evil wizards, right?"

As soon as the feast was over Lily stood up and ran to catch Severus, who caught her in his arms confused as she hugged him. He hugged her back awkwardly, he hadn't hugged anyone in a long time.

"You know I wasn't talking about you, right Sev?" She whispered, singing. She sounded heartbroken.

"Lily I always knew I'd end up in Slytherin, like my mom..." He sang. "I just hoped you'd be there with me."

Lily didn't answer, she just stared at him.

"Lily, is time to go." Said the Gryffindor prefect and she nodded, letting go of Severus. He panicked.

"You are still by best friend, right Lily?" He sang, panicking.

"Always."

Once in the Common Room McGonagall removed the spell from Lily and she was able to hiss "I hate you" without singing when she walked past Remus and his friends. McGonagall seemed to be repressing a smile as she scolded them, saying that next time she'd have to take out points from Gryffindor. After that she instructs the first year students to make groups of four, those would be their roommates for the rest of their years at Hogwarts.

Remus panicked slightly, but when Sirius, James and Peter smiled at him he knew he didn't have to worry about being left out.

Lily teamed up with a girl with dark short hair called Alice, a blonde giggling one called Marlene and a girl with long wavy dark brown hair called Mary. Mary had a quiet yet cheerful voice and she held a book against her chest. But that wasn't what caught Remus' attention, but the way she held the book. As if it was natural to hug a book, as if she was used to.

Was it his imagination or was she holding Pride and Prejudice? That was his favorite book.

Sirius just couldn't stop laughing about the Snivellus singing prank, and the four friends stayed up very late laughing over that day's prank and planning the next one's and the next one's... Eventually they decided to go to bed, tomorrow was their first day of class and they were really excited.

And even when Remus had never spent a day away from his parents and in company of three strangers he wasn't scared. He finally felt at home.


End file.
